Abia state government says its promise to liquidate arrears of salaries and pensions owed to some of its workforce remains irrevocable.
The state Commissioner for Finance, Mr Obinna Oriaku gave the reassurance in Umuahia while briefing journalists on the progress been made by the committee set up to clear all outstanding salaries and pensions of some categories of its workers before December, this year.
According to Mr Oriaku, the state government has also put in motion the machinery to offset salaries of primary and secondary school teachers as well as pensioners in the state adding that primary school teachers would by next month be up to date in salaries payment with other workers.
“A worker deserves his pay that is why government set up the committee to make sure we carry everybody along and it is their mandate that we are carrying out.
He said by December, the state government would not be owing any teachers salaries arrears and disclosed that last month, primary school teachers got two months salaries and will by next week all things being equal, receive another trench that would put them at par with other workers in the state civil service in terms of salary payment.
The Commissioner said that the next focus would be secondary school teachers who were paid last Monday and would receive another trench by yesterday.
On pensioners plight, he disclosed that issue of pension arrears constitute part of the Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) going on deliberations and was expected to made public resolutions on when pensions would be paid.
He blamed the non receipt of salaries by workers of some parastatals to management issues.
